Celebrate World Manta Day with some interesting facts

World Manta Day is observed on Sept 17 each year. — ANN SCOTTASIA/Outrigger Maldives

Today is World Manta Day, which celebrates both the manta and devil rays and raises awareness about their conservation status. This year’s theme is Education, and this is exactly what you’ll get if you visit the World Manta Day website – a lesson on mantas.

Did you know that although they are huge in size, mantas feed on zooplankton, which are microscopic animals? The website also states that “Manta rays are close relatives of all sharks and rays, meaning they have a skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone”.